MLB Player News

King was non-tendered by the Cardinals in November after posting a 4.66 ERA last year. The sinkerballer had come in at 3.47 over the previous four seasons, and the Marlins are making a small bet that he’ll get back into that territory. If it works out, he’ll probably be flipped for a prospect in July.

Crawford won the center field job in spring and figures to play almost every day for the Phillies. He’s a good defender, which will keep him in the lineup, and he has solid speed, but he doesn’t figure to bring much in the way of power early in his career. That and his spot at the bottom of the order will keep his fantasy value in check a bit early in the season. The rest of the Phillies’ lineup on Opening Day is: Trea Turner SS, Kyle Schwarber DH, Bryce Harper 1B, Alec Bohm 3B, Bryson Stott 2B, Adolis Garcia RF, Brandon Marsh LF, J.T. Realmuto C, and Justin Crawford CF.

The Rangers have said they wanted to get Carter in the lineup more against lefties, but it won’t be against Cristopher Sanchez on Opening Day. Instead, Wyatt Langford will shift over to center field, and Sam Haggerty will enter the lineup in left field. The Rangers’ full Opening Day lineup is: Brandon Nimmo RF, Wyatt Langford CF, Corey Seager SS, Jake Burger 1B, Andrew McCutchen DH, Josh Jung 3B, Josh Smith 2B, Danny Jansen C, and Sam Haggerty LF.

McGonigle earned a starting job in spring training and won’t be buried at the bottom of the lineup. That’s good news for McGonigle’s potential RBI totals this season. The remainder of the Tigers’ starting lineup is: Kerry Carpenter RF, Gleyber Torres 2B, Colt Keith DH, Riley Greene LF, Spencer Torkelson 1B, Kevin McGonigle 3B, Dillon Dingler C, Parker Meadows CF, and Javier Baez SS.

The Astros had said Peña would be ready for Opening Day, and he looked ready after homering in his first game back from a fractured ring finger, but it will be Carlos Correa at shortstop on Opening Day with Isaac Paredes at third base. In fact, Peña isn’t even with the team. He is taking live at-bats in Sugar Land on Thursday. It’s unclear what that means for his availability over the next few days, but it would be a shock if he wasn’t in the lineup soon, considering the team decided not to put him on the IL. The Astros’ lineup for Opening Day is: Jose Altuve 2B, Yordan Alvarez DH, Isaac Paredes 3B, Carlos Correa SS, Joey Loperfido LF, Cam Smith RF, Christian Walker 1B, Yainer Diaz C, and Jake Meyers CF.

Perhaps this is connected to Mike Tauchman’s injury, but the Mets inked Tommy Pham to a minor league deal and will send him to Triple-A Syracuse. The 38-year-old hit .245/.330/.370 with 10 home runs and five steals in 449 plate appearances for the Pirates last season. He could be an option for the Mets against lefties at some point this season.

With Rob Refsnyder no longer on the team, the Red Sox don’t have a clear platoon partner for Abreu. Isiah Kiner-Falefa may make some starts in the outfield against lefties, but he’s playing second base today with Marcelo Mayer sitting. This is great news for Abreu’s fantasy value, and he could be in for a real breakout season. The rest of the Red Sox’s Opening Day lineup is: Roman Anthony LF, Trevor Story SS, Jarren Duran DH, Willson Contreras 1B, Caleb Durbin 3B, Wilyer Abreu RF, Isiah Kiner-Falefa 2B, Carlos Narvaez C, and Ceddanne Rafaela CF.

The Red Sox have said they would get Mayer more at-bats against lefties this season, but that won’t be the case on Opening Day against Andrew Abbott. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will start in Mayer’s place, and fantasy managers will have to hope that this is not a locked-in situation for Mayer all season long.

With the Cubs throwing left-hander Matthew Boyd, it will be Andres Chaparro starting at first base. This isn’t a huge surprise, but it’s a little disappointing considering how poor the Nationals’ lineup is. There was some hope that they would view García Jr. as enough of a key hitter to play him against some lefties, but that may not be the case. The remainder of the Nationals’ Opening Day lineup is: James Wood LF, Andres Chaparro 1B, Brady House 3B, Daylen Lile DH, Joey Wiemer RF, C.J. Abrams SS, Nasim Nunez 2B, Keibert Ruiz C, and Jacob Young CF

It’s only one game, but it seems that Hamilton may have beaten out Luis Rengifo for the third base job in Milwaukee. Hamilton did enjoy a good spring, slashing .333/.393/.510 with one home run and seven steals in 56 plate appearances, but he’s also a .222/.283/.359 career hitter in 550 MLB plate appearances. What’s more, he graded out as an above-average defender at second base during his time with the Red Sox but a below-average one at shortstop. It remains to be seen how he can handle third base and how long he lasts as a starter, but his speed puts him on fantasy radars if he’s going to start against right-handed pitching.

With Jackson Chourio (hand) on the IL, it will be Bauers who gets the first start of the season. The 30-year-old had a tremendous spring, hitting .462/.571/1.154 with seven home runs and three steals in 49 plate appearances. It’s obviously a small sample size, but it’s pretty eye-opening. Bauers figures to start against most right-handed pitchers for the next month, with Blake Perkins starting against lefties. That could give Bauers fantasy value in deeper formats. The rest of the Brewers’ lineup is: Brice Turang 2B, William Contreras C, Christian Yelich DH, Andrew Vaughn 1B, Jake Bauers LF, Sal Frelick RF, David Hamilton 3B, Garrett Mitchell CF, Joey Ortiz SS.